SG-1: The Fairytale Collection
by omaroma
Summary: Fractured fairytale stories in the universe that is Stargate SG-1. Lots of adventure, scientific mysteries, new civilizations, and (hidden) feelings to explore. Each chapter will be (loosely) based on a familiar fairytale. Warning that all chapters will at least slightly ship Jack/Sam, but no AU or out-of-canon pairings/hookups will ensue. Rating T is just for safety.


Chapter 1: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

(Set in season 1, just after _Solitudes_.)

_(Standard fanfiction disclaimer, yada yada yada. SG-1 is not mine...if it was, Sam & Jack would've been made canon a long time ago and I would be living a life of luxury. The storyline is also borrowed-fractured and adapted for this universe I love perhaps-but the words at least are my very own. Special thanks to Dawn & Charissa for being my IRL betas, sounding boards, deadline enforcers, cheerleaders, and all-around indulging my geeky fangirling. I'm glad we will never be too old for this.)_

The world was on fire.

Maybe not his world, but that didn't make it any less heartbreaking to Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Vaguely aware of the plasma scorching the rocks beneath his feet as he ran for his life, he was far more distracted by the pangs he felt toward the dying ruins around him than by any actual fear of dying himself, and he wondered at how quickly things could change. How only a few months ago he had been on Abydos with Sha're, worrying more about clean water and starting a family than chasing evil parasites through the galaxy in the hope of saving his wife. How the search for her so often was pushed to second priority the moment they stepped through the gate and faced some crisis or other that only his team could solve. How, while the pursuit of knowledge always left him a little reckless, now he was morphing slowly into more soldier than scholar. How he could already be so attached to a planet he had never heard of seventy-five hours ago and mostly had only witnessed first-hand as a fiery blur.

Equally distracting was the way the haze of the heat in the stone-riddled plaza interfered with his ability to examine the layout of the rubble as he ran, so reminiscent of something he was sure he'd seen back on Earth but didn't have a spare moment to consider further. It was maddening. All around him, the trees of P3X-274 were burning now-not smoking, though, and what could cause that? Sam would know-and the ground itself gurgled ominously orange in places. The floor is lava, he thought, and he felt the sudden delirious urge to laugh, knowing that one of his favorite childhood games had suddenly been made deadly real. He hurdled over and ducked behind a large rock just as another bolt of plasma from the Jaffa's staff weapon seared past him, liquifying a piece of the boulder that sheltered Teal'c. Roasting as if in a large oven, this planet appeared to be going down in slow flames, and Apophis' goons seemed bent on taking SG-1 down with it.

"Colonel! Seven o'clock!" Captain Samantha Carter shouted a warning somewhere ahead of Daniel, covering Jack with the rapid fire of her MP5 as he dove behind the slab she manned, slamming into her shoulder. She heard his breath hitch a moment-even though his ribs had healed and he'd been cleared for duty after their recent "detour" in Antarctica, she couldn't imagine the last three days had been any good for his recovery.

It was supposed to be a standard recon mission, checking out some old ruins of an uninhabited planet that had Daniel all starry-eyed-something light, or so General Hammond had hoped-and with the MALP and UAV showing no warning signs, their guard had been down. No arm-hairs raised, no spidey-sense tingling. Even Jack hadn't seen the ambush coming.

Then the tel'taks had appeared from orbit with their seemingly endless troops pouring out, chasing the team farther and farther away from the Stargate and into the forests and ruins that they hadn't even had the chance to explore. Three days of battling had followed, the running and fighting punctuated only occasionally by necessary rest and rations on both sides-and heaven knew they were running on fumes and prayers now. Water. Without water soon, she knew they were toast-maybe literally. Sam swallowed her self-imposed guilt and was already mentally calculating how to modify the UAVs to improve their future telemetry as she scanned the immediate area for additional threats. Beside her, Jack slammed the last clip roughly into his weapon, spun around, and took down two more Jaffa with surprising accuracy. She tried, and failed, not to be impressed. It was becoming a trend with her CO, she was noticing.

And, she thought wryly, he had mentioned wanting a warm planet after barely surviving all that time in the ice. Didn't get much warmer than the kindling world they were on now. Be careful what you wish for.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called out from behind him, the electric pulse of his zat'nik'tel catching another of the enemy and forcing him to the ground. "I believe we are down to the last of Apophis' troops. Perhaps it would be wise to engage with the final explosive in your tac vest."

Jack bit back a curse-aside from the ammo left in their weapons, the grenade was their final line of defense and their only way through any rocky passes if they were to make it back to the Stargate-but, what the hey, if not now, when? "Fire in the hole!" he yelled out before pulling the pin and launching it at their attackers. As one, his team lowered their heads and plugged their ears, waiting for detonation. Vibrations from the exploding tel'tak and a cloud of smoke drowned out any screams from the other side. After a moment, they cautiously peered around the boulders and took in the eerie silence. Only the strewn bodies of the enemy and the constant roar of oven-planet sounds remained.

She wanted to relish in the dizzying relief of the moment, but the danger was not over yet, and Sam knew it. "Sir, we have to get out of here!"

"I know, Captain!" Jack spit out, his exhaustion evident. He wiped his hand down his face to reign his temper back in, taking in the warmth of pavement beneath him, the fiery red of the trees that surrounded them. "Options?"

Daniel stood fully and spun around. "I'm a little turned around here!" he admitted, still yelling out of sheer habit-or maybe that was thanks to the ringing in his ears. He'd been closest to the blast.

Carter took out her compass and frowned at it loudly, willing it to give her an answer.

Teal'c rose, placid and proud as ever. Beating his brothers in battle gave him no pleasure, but beating Apophis, the false god whom he had once served, always gave him great satisfaction. He was no stranger to fighting Jaffa and needed little rest compared with his teammates. He also had a knack, honed over almost a century as First Prime, for creating a mental map of his surroundings, even in the intense heat of battle. One arm raised, one finger pointing towards charring timber, he simply said, "This way."

"Are you nuts?" Jack roared. "I'm already melting out here, what makes you think we won't flambe in there?"

The corner of Teal'c's mouth turned up slightly. "The Stargate is roughly twenty-one of your kilometers in that direction, it is upwind, and the combustion from the battle has already reached the canopies. Were there smoke, you would likely not be able to survive the journey, but the heat is minimal compared to our current surroundings, and if we stay here, we shall surely-"

"Okay, okay," Jack conceded, sweeping his arm in the direction of the burning forest to indicate that Teal'c should lead the way. Replacing the cap on his head, he muttered just loudly enough for Carter to hear, "Showoff." He noticed from the corner of his eye how she dipped her head to hide a tired-but-amused smile. One point for O'Neill. Trying to get his second-in-command to grin-or giggle, he remembered with a smirk-was a dangerous game he couldn't seem to keep himself from playing off-world lately. He didn't really want to examine that too closely, so he opted for loud and petulant whining as a distraction. He threw his head back. "Mom, are we there yet?"

Teal'c's raised eyebrow as he turned away was his only reply.

Jack's gaze slid to the man behind him, who was spinning around observing the forest and diminishing ruins as if in a silent ballet. "Daniel, you okay?"

"Mmmhmm," Daniel murmured, as though he hadn't heard the question. His eyes were everywhere and nowhere, as per usual when they weren't busy escaping mortal peril. Jack chose to ignore him. For now.

"All right, kids. Plan B, or C, or whatever we are up to now: we get through this blazing inferno, we find shelter before the moons come up-maybe with a little luck even some water along the way, do some fishing, dry-cleaning, that sort of thing-and then we take watches while we get some much-needed shut-eye. At sunrise, we'll finish our way back to the Stargate before Apophis has a chance to send any more of his flaming fleet our way, and then we'll lock this godforsaken planet out of the database before anyone else has the chance to get invited to a Goa'uld barbecue."

"If you're taking requests," Carter hazarded, "maybe we can add nice, cold showers to the list, sir?"

"Are you insinuating something, Captain?"

"No, sir," she deadpanned. "You all smell like roses. Me, on the other hand?" She grimaced and shook some of the dust and ash out of her hair. "Well, I swear, I really am a natural blonde."

Jack coughed, told himself it was because his throat was dry from the heat and too-long battle, then tenderly held his ribcage with the reverberating aches. "Carter, if we find a source of water, you can have a damn bubble bath. Teal'c, too. I'll even find some aromatherapy candles and a little rubber ducky for him." Sam snorted at the mental image that conjured. Two points.

"What is a bubble bath, O'Neill?" Teal'c ventured.

"Oh, T," Jack intoned giddily, "you are in for a treat."

* * *

As the twin moons rose over the treetops into the bruised sky above, the temperature did indeed decrease. The blaze of the days-long firefight burned mostly behind or above them. The planet wasn't in any actual danger of imminent explosion after all. Sam closed her eyes to savor the slight breeze against her face, not quite cool but it did the trick. Adrenaline had leached from their systems, while hunger and thirst had settled in its place. Aside from a gnawing pain in her right side, though, her mind felt clear again for the first time in days, and she found herself taking point of their little parade on an overgrown path, her guiding instruments in hand. A contented silence had fallen on the group as they marched along in the direction Teal'c had indicated, laced with more than a little exhaustion. She wondered how much further Colonel O'Neill would make them walk before they could finally rest, although no one had spotted any sign of water or safe shelter in the last two hours they'd been hiking. Her combat boots increasingly felt like they were made of lead.

"This isn't right," Daniel murmured distractedly. He hadn't stopped looking around, soaking in the wordless world like a sponge, though the movement had become less elegant over time; less ballet, more anxious prairie dog, Jack mused.

"What do you mean, Daniel?" Sam asked, more worried about him than her own leadership skills. She trusted her tools and Teal'c too much for her to fear getting lost at this point.

The way he responded, she wasn't sure if he'd heard her. "Black trees. No smoke. The rocks, too close together. The plazas, too far apart." The puzzle pieces wouldn't coalesce, but he knew the answer was on the tip of his tongue.

To Jack, however, he sounded mildly unhinged, probably due to dehydration. He slowed his pace and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, Danny boy," he sighed. "This time tomorrow, we'll be home sweet home."

"No, Jack," Daniel impatiently swatted him away.

"No?"

"I mean, yes, obviously, I want to go home, but no, I'm not crazy, and no, there's something not right about this place."

"Yeah," Jack bristled, "I noticed. I'm no doctor, but the three days of fighting Apophis' lackeys kinda clued me in."

"No, Jack!" Daniel stopped in his tracks, still looking up. "The trees. Don't you see?"

Jack tried, he honestly tried. "I see trees, Daniel, and fire, and nothing else for miles around now. No water, no rocks, and the trees we do see aren't stable enough for shelter after a veritable forest fire. What am I missing?"

"The trees, they aren't really trees, Jack," Daniel smiled up at the rising moons. "I think they were man-made."

The thought was intriguing enough to make Sam stop, too, and although it held one major flaw, she tried not to let her skepticism show. It was Daniel, after all, and his insights bordered on surprisingly, brilliantly accurate at least as many times as...well, as her own. "Um, Daniel? Whatever civilization used to live on this planet appears to be long gone, their cities in ruins along with it. What makes you think, even if you could 'make' a tree, that these people would build their forests to outlast their cities and homes?"

"Not these people," Daniel said, shaking his head as though to wipe away cobwebs. "Others."

"Others?" Jack prompted.

"The first ones, if I'm right."

"And you usually are," Jack allowed, "even if I have no clue what you're talking about. Like right now."

"Look at the way these trees are positioned, Jack," he said, running towards a nearby cluster. "Always in groups of three, five, seven, or eleven."

"Prime numbers," Sam offered automatically, unsure if it was relevant but compelled to say it anyway.

"And have any of you actually touched the trees?" He reached out as if to demonstrate. "I mean, we don't generally walk into the trees themselves while we're traipsing around the forest, so probably not, but do it now! They don't feel charred, or even warm, even though they're basically giant matchsticks thanks to us. If anything they actually feel cooler than the ground or air temperature right now."

Sam's eyes went wide with scientific curiosity and she scurried to the nearest tree, reaching out to caress the bark. "He's right, sir," she said, giddy astonishment evident in her countenance. "Wood is already a pretty good insulator, but even so, after catching fire, you'd expect some residual heat."

"Sam," Daniel asked, more insistent now that the danger was gone and someone seemed to at least want to follow his train of thought, "why isn't there any smoke?"

Looking upwards, she thought aloud. "Smoke is a result of incomplete combustion, usually due to a lack of sufficient oxygen to burn all the material. The leftover particles that don't catch fire burn off as smoke. Normally I'd hypothesize that there is just more oxygen in the atmosphere, but that doesn't make sense based on all our preliminary scans. That, combined with the fact that these are cooler now than ambient temperatures, suggests-"

"Carter!" Jack interrupted, vaguely aware of how his impatience closed off her face but not allowing himself to be moved by it. "Get to the point."

"These trees have either been genetically modified or artificially created, probably to withstand or even absorb and redirect thermal energy. Though I'm not sure how or why-"

"Of course," Daniel said, as though it all made sense now. And he wandered into the nearby thicket, instantly vanishing from view.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Jack shouted as he chased after him, disappearing as well.

Teal'c and Carter just looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and following. No use in getting separated at this point, and they were too tired to debate about it.

* * *

What surprised Jack the most probably should have been the sudden change in his surroundings as the forest disappeared from view and he found himself inside what looked like a small, abandoned home. But it wasn't. He'd been traveling by Stargate for a while now and, while this experience certainly felt a little different, his senses were becoming accustomed to the quick, drastic shifts in environments. No, what surprised him more was that Daniel, just a few seconds ahead of him, seemed to have somehow divested himself of his gear and helmet and was already moving his camera around the room they stood in, appearing to get his second wind before Jack could even blink. He watched as the man absently ran his fingers through his floppy hair, and observed how it stayed in a slicked-back position, the tracks from his fingers visible. Maybe Carter was right about that shower.

As if he conjured them by his thoughts, Carter and Teal'c appeared immediately behind him, the good Captain's momentum accidentally pushing him forward, almost knocking him off his feet. She grabbed his pack to steady him in lieu of an apology, already taking in the small space and probably doing whatever mental aerobics she was constantly doing within the first moments in new surroundings. So easy to read. Teal'c, on the other hand, always the stoic warrior, was lifting his staff weapon and eyeing the doorways of the room, seeming uncertain which to investigate first. He moved toward the hall closest to them.

"Everyone all right?" Jack asked, more for the reassurance of hearing his own voice-and theirs.

"Yes, sir," was Carter's automatic reply.

"I am well," Teal'c allowed, with some wariness lacing his tone.

"Yeah, yeah," Daniel waved his hand, dismissing his concerns and simultaneously waving him over to the

deserted hearth by which he stood. "Jack, you gotta come see this."

Ever obliging, Jack walked over to join his friend. "What am I seeing, exactly, Daniel?" He stopped abruptly, though, when he reached the old fireplace. He didn't need Daniel to explain that. Where, on Earth, there would be pictures hanging on the walls or resting on the mantle, there were instead dozens of small wooden discs everywhere, each engraved with different Stargate addresses. "Holy-guess they threw out all the Christmas cards already, huh?"

Daniel was snapping photos to cross-reference with the addresses found on Heliopolis and wisely ignored him.

"O'Neill," Teal'c wandered back from one of the hallways into what Jack now thought of as the living room. The whole place had a nineteenth-century log cabin feel, although apparently with several rooms and hallways, which might have been incongruous considering the technology that landed them there, but it made Jack feel right at home. He may as well have been in Minnesota, in spite of the slightly desolate condition of the place. "It appears that this abode is indeed abandoned. I can perceive no immediate threats in our vicinity. Perhaps it would be wise to rest here for the night before proceeding."

Jack looked to his second-in-command for confirmation, but she was wandering the room touching the walls and didn't notice. "Carter?" he prompted aloud.

"Hmm?" she started, preoccupied, but then Teal'c's words processed in her mind, and she continued hurriedly, "um, yes, sir, I think that's fine." She studied the instruments in her hand for verification. "We should be good for now. No radiation, chemicals, or other dangerous energy readings that I can see."

Good enough for him. He dropped his pack and stretched his arms above his head. "All right, kids, who wants the top bunk?"

No response. Just as well.

"Sir," Carter came over to him, a bemused frown on her face and waving one of her doohickeys in his general direction. "The temperature is already much more reasonable than it was in the forest."

"That's a good thing, Carter," he said, before letting out a slow exhale and resting his fists on his lower back as if he could punch away the aches forming there. "So, what's the bad news?"

"It doesn't make any sense, sir. I'm not sure if we were transported to a different point on the planet's surface, or if the trees were cloaking this home and simultaneously redirecting the heat away from it, or if-"

"Ah!" Jack protested, putting up both of his index fingers. "All I need to know right now, Captain, is if we are in any immediate danger. If not, we rest here tonight." He knew she didn't like not knowing, but his priorities were elsewhere at the moment. More gently, he added, "Let's look around and see if we can find anything to make our stay more comfortable, okay?"

She nodded in response, sighing slightly insubordinately, but that only served to bolster his pride in her.

"Uh, guys," Daniel called out from an adjoining room. "I think I found a shower! With actual running water and, y'know, plumbing!"

"There appears to be a pantry of some sort in here, as well, O'Neill," Teal'c offered from another suite.

"See, Carter?" Jack gloated a little, slapping his legs to rid himself of some of the ash and dirt covering him, which only served to blow a cloud of the stuff around the room and make Sam cough. "There's no place like home."

* * *

Sam had insisted that her teammates clean themselves up first while she explored further and built a small fire for both food and heat. She had wanted to make certain that no one was going to intrude and that they could find their way out of there come morning, and so far one of those two things she felt good about. She tried not to worry too much about the latter just yet, though her mind was already whirling with conjectures. When her turn for the shower came, she was relieved that there was still some warmth in the water-despite three straight days of unbearable heat, a nice, hot shower always made her feel like herself again, and the cabin had cooled down significantly as the evening progressed. It reminded her of the desert, which only fascinated her more. She wished she had time to really study this place further. She also wished she had something more comfortable than BDUs to change back into, but at least it was a clean pair and she had remembered to pack a small towel. Simple pleasures. She relished feeling clean again, dried her hair the best she could, then wandered back to the hearth where her teammates were divvying out what looked like foil packets of food, probably rummaged from the pantry of their absent hosts. They all turned as one to look at her, stopping mid-conversation as the stares continued for a beat. It made her antsy.

"What?" she challenged.

Daniel's mouth opened and then closed again, as though he stopped himself from saying something. Teal'c's eyebrow raised in appraisal, blatantly eyeing her from head to toe. The colonel's eyes softened for a long moment, but then it was as if he put on a deliberately emotionless mask. That made her even more uneasy for some reason. "No, seriously, what?" she repeated. "Did I grow a second head or something?"

Daniel took out his camera without warning and snapped a photograph of her. Then he stood and walked over to her, holding out the small screen so she could see it. Her brow furrowed for a moment, but she saw what they had seen and she relaxed. Nothing too embarrassing. Looking at it objectively, it was even kind of pretty, in fact. Some light-both from the moons shining through the windows and the fire she had started earlier-played across her face in a flattering way, sharpening some of the angles and softening others, while her golden hair was curling around the collar of her BDU as it was drying. Three days of sweating followed by hydration and a warm shower gave her cheeks and lips a little more rosiness than usual. The whole effect gave her a younger, almost ethereal glow.

"Nice," Daniel teased playfully, nudging her elbow with his own before returning to his place by the fire.

She blushed a little, shrugging as though to shake off the unwanted attention. "Who needs glamour shots when you've got P3X-274?" she joked. "Besides, you've all seen a clean woman before," she muttered self-consciously, tucking an errant curl behind her ears and crossing the room to sit cross-legged on the floor beside the colonel. He gingerly handed her a steaming foil packet of something that smelled savory and spicy, and she noticed he was trying to control his breathing. She bit her lip, worrying that his ribs were bothering him more than he'd ever let on. The fact that he wouldn't meet her eye only seemed to confirm her suspicions.

"This food is rather bland," Teal'c stated, changing the topic. Sam let out a grateful breath and smiled at him. He inclined his head in acknowledgement. "But it is nevertheless quite satisfying."

"Really?" Daniel asked, picking up his own packet and taking a bite. After a moment, his eyes began to water. "No," he choked out, reaching for his now-full canteen. "Really? This stuff has got quite the kick, Teal'c!" He took a few long sips of water. "Some kind of crazy otherworldly pepper, maybe? It reminds me of this time I was on a dig as an undergrad in Madurai-"

"Oh, would you two hens stop your clucking?" Jack snapped. "The food is perfect. The shower was perfect. This whole place is pretty perfect, we are safe for the first time in seventy-two hours, and I, for one, am already exhausted enough without having to hear another long, drawn-out story of old pottery you found in the dirt twenty years ago-"

"The shower was not perfect," Daniel mumbled as he defiantly attacked another forkful of mystery meat, more to get the last word in than to preserve any of his own feelings. He was tired, too, and happy to keep his stories to himself tonight. But arguing with Jack was his default.

"What do you mean?" Jack retorted. "It was, too."

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was."

"Was not."

"Was too!"

"Jack!"

"Daniel!"

"It was too cold, that's all!" Daniel sighed, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air. "I couldn't figure out a way to adjust the temperature, but it's fine! I'm not complaining about getting a free shower after all we've been through."

"Indeed, we are all grateful," Teal'c stated. Then his brow furrowed in thought. "But, in fact, the shower was too hot," he said. "Like you, Daniel Jackson, I could not modify the temperature to my liking."

"I didn't have to modify it," Jack said. "It started out a little cold, but then as soon as I thought about it, it warmed right up, 'til it was just right. Literally perfect."

"I guess I didn't have the magic touch, then," Daniel shrugged, his shoulders relaxing.

"Yes, well, at least something is good at following orders around here." His smile and tone belied any implied harshness of the words as Jack took another bite, chewing more theatrically than usual. He really made a show of enjoying the makeshift meal, which had them all smiling.

Sam wondered at the exchange, at how quickly her teammates could switch from arguing to acceptance and even affection. Not for the first time, she envied the strange friendship the two men had. Their experience together predated SG-1, seeing both men through some pretty dark times, and it left them with a unique connection. She wondered when or even if she would ever feel that she had earned the same respect and tenderness they clearly shared. But, then again, "tenderness" wasn't something she was even supposed to want from her teammates, was it? Least of all her CO. Brushing off that train of thought before it derailed her completely, she cast a cursory glance around the group. "Well, as much fun as this is, I think I'm going to go get some rest."

Jack put his hand on her arm to stop her from getting up. "Finish your meal, Captain. And we're all staying in here tonight. I don't want any more surprises until morning. Teal'c, you can have the first watch; wake me up in two hours and I'll take over. Then Daniel, then Carter, after which we'll gather up what we can and try to head for the gate come morning. Looks like there's a nice bench over there when you're ready to kelno'reem," he added, gesturing with his thumb to a low, dusty, pillow-covered thing in the corner of the room.

It didn't take long for them to wordlessly finish their meager meal and lay out their bedrolls to get settled in. Teal'c had moved to the bench to watch over his team, looking for all the world like a bronze gargoyle, his golden serpent tattoo shimmering on his forehead almost as if it were slithering in the firelight. It was a cold evening in the little cabin now, especially sitting away from the dying fire, but that would only serve to sharpen his senses for the duration of his nightly vigil. Daniel Jackson lay at his feet, tossing frequently and shivering in the shadows as he tried to fall asleep, too stubborn to do anything but silently bury himself deeper within the covers. The glasses laying near his head fogged up a little.

Captain Carter had taken up position closest to the embers, and Teal'c could see a slight sheen of sweat develop along her forehead as the minutes wore on-not enough to suggest illness, merely some harmless discomfort, perhaps. He knew she would never say anything, either, though, especially in the presence of their commanding officer.

O'Neill, sandwiched between the two, looked completely at ease, and he gravitated unconsciously over time towards his female teammate as he tried to rest. Teal'c raised his eyebrow at that. He heard the man sleepily whisper something about the fragrance of the captain's shampoo, at which she blushed furiously but turned towards him and whispered something in response. Something amusing, apparently, by the way O'Neill smiled at her before closing his eyes once more. Then he saw something that surprised him-Captain Carter's gaze lingered on O'Neill's face and watched him fall asleep for a few moments, and the gentleness and worry he read in her own aspect caught Teal'c off guard. He knew that the two had developed a bond after their time in Antarctica, but he wondered now if they didn't perhaps develop something more. Or if they would be aware of it, even if they had. Or if they would admit to it, even if they were. Intriguing. He would have to keep a closer watch on the two, far beyond his responsibilities of this night.

* * *

Sam had a cup of instant coffee ready for each of her teammates as they awoke. Teal'c hadn't actually been asleep, but after his deep state of meditation, he welcomed the mug with a quiet ease that would have been equally at home had they been on base on a lazy Sunday morning with nothing to do. Jack came around next, forgoing typical morning pleasantries in favor of a few questions and light orders as he accepted his share of the caffeine. The bustle alone must have startled the archaeologist awake, judging by his jittery and abrupt movements in the first minutes as he sat up, but you could see the moment he remembered where they were and he relaxed. As he drank, the jolt of energy immediately set his mind and mouth running, and Daniel and Sam were soon eagerly exchanging theories about the planet as they packed up their supplies. There was so much they didn't know about this place-it was exciting to bounce all their observations and speculations off of one another without fear of judgment or someone impatiently cutting them off and telling them to boil their theories down to the basics.

Sam was strapping the med-kit back in her go-bag when they suddenly appeared in the room. The three figures looked human, at least from the outline she could see beneath long, form-fitting, fur-trimmed robes and translucent veils covering most of their bodies. Before she could reach for her MP5 or even stand up from her crouched position, the tallest among the beings stepped on her gun and held out an arm towards her, something organic-looking in hand. Food? Scanner? Weapon? It was so alien she couldn't be sure. The rest of her team, a split second behind her, stood defensively, Teal'c's staff weapon already raised and aimed at the tall one. Daniel and Jack, guns in hand, aimed at the other two visitors, who soon also had their mystery implements aimed back at them. Weapons, then.

"Easy, now," Jack warned. "I think you fellas might be a little turned around. This is our pit stop for the night-found it fair and square. So be a peach and go find your own accommodations, would ya?"

Silence. The safety clicked off on Jack's weapon as he calculated how many shots he could get off before someone got hurt. Three-on-three were better odds than the team usually got.

"Jack," Daniel urged, his eyes trained on the shortest one. "Maybe we should try talking about this first?"

"Sure, Daniel," he responded caustically. "Just as soon as they lower their weapons, I'll be glad to hold hands and sing kumbaya. Right, boys?"

The sound of what they could only assume was their organic weapons powering up set Teal'c to powering his, as well. The tip of his staff weapon opened, primed with a crackle of visible energy and waiting for him to pull the trigger. The seconds ticked by achingly slowly as they all awaited the colonel's orders. If anyone breathed, Sam couldn't hear it. Adrenaline made her suddenly very aware of her hands and feet.

"Um, sir?" she ventured quietly. "Did you see how they just appeared out of thin air? When I tried going back that way yesterday, I couldn't find a way out."

"One-way ticket?" Jack questioned. "Doesn't seem very practical."

"No, sir," she agreed. "But the Stargate wormholes also only move in one direction. There has to be a way out of here, obviously, another portal or opening or something, I just hadn't found it yet."

"Great," Jack muttered, sarcasm oozing as the gears loudly turned in his mind.

The three menacing figures tilted their heads as if in a silent conversation amongst themselves, but their weapons were still raised.

"Okay, kids," Jack decided with a sigh, "Let's let these nice...people?...have their cabin back." He sighed again and addressed the unknown trio, louder this time. "We'll just get out of your way, now, folks, no harm no foul, right? Sorry for the intrusion or any misunderstanding. Thanks for your hospitality, et cetera, et cetera."

The moment he clicked his safety back on, it was pandemonium.

A green stream of energy caught Teal'c in the shoulder, causing his return fire to go high. The spot where he'd been shot blistered instantly, but it looked better than getting singed by a staff weapon blast, at least. Jack swore profusely as he took down Teal'c's shooter at the knee, distracting the other two unwelcome figures long enough for Sam to grab her MP5 and stand, while Daniel ducked and rolled to the nearest wall, frantically searching for an exit and trusting his team to cover him. He crawled into a hallway and out of sight. Backing up towards the bench Teal'c had claimed last night, Jack and Sam knocked it on its side to provide an only-moderately-effective shield. The aliens did the same on the other side of the room with a small shelf, but it was short-lived as Teal'c swung his staff weapon back around and blew a hole in the middle of it. A few warning shots were fired from both sides.

"I think I've got it!" Daniel shouted from a room nearby. "C'mon, guys, this way!"

Jack nodded his head in Daniel's general direction, urging his teammates on while he fended off enemy fire. Sam boldly made for the open space between the standoff so she could grab her pack, firing shots blindly with her other hand. Her elbow was nicked by the energy weapon, but she made her way to safety easily enough, cradling one arm with the other. Crouching and walking backwards, SG-1 retreated to the other room.

"Are you sure about this, Daniel?" Sam asked.

"Well, it'll take us somewhere," he said, tossing a small pebble towards the wall in demonstration, chin lifting as it disappeared rather than bouncing off the surface, "and I'm not sure we can afford to be picky right now!"

"Go!" Jack ordered, his back to them all as he faced the corridor. The strange individuals weren't following them, at least. Hopefully that was a good thing and not because they were about to do their dirty work for them. They lined up quickly and walked uncertainly towards the wall.

Just as each of them was about to hit the wooden surface, they instantly found themselves back in the same forest as the night before, recognizable even in the daylight now thanks to the tracks they'd made in the tall grasses of the winding trail that stopped so abruptly by this small thicket.

"Let's not dawdle," Jack needlessly said, pointing his team on hurriedly down the path before they could be pursued. Teal'c took point this time, as Sam's toys were still in her pack and her hands were otherwise occupied with her gun and her wound. He set a fast pace for the group, but jogging was easier now that they'd all had rest and nourishment.

"I can't believe they shot at us!" Daniel moped, sounding as though he had personally been betrayed. "And to think of all the things we never figured out, all the questions they could have answered! I mean, their technology was fascinating, sure, but also their culture, their infrastructure, their family units, their interactions with the other civilizations that came about later-because they definitely predated the civilization that built those ruins! And all those Stargate addresses on display! Although I guess I did get those on camera. But why did they have to-"

"Daniel," Jack smiled in spite of breathing heavily, "did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?"

"Indeed," Teal'c uttered from ahead of them-he who spoke so little, but every word he did utter radiating great meaning.

Sam grinned in spite of her aching elbow, golden hair bouncing in the sunlight as she ran. Colonel O'Neill's speech, as always when they were off-world, was just the right blend of focus and distraction as they all made their way back to the Stargate. She had the best job, she determined in that moment, and was even looking forward to writing the report about this mission despite all the things she still didn't know. Maybe she'd find the answers someday, or maybe not. But she was grateful to know that, with her teammates by her side, every day was an adventure and promised new mysteries around every corner just waiting to be solved.

THE END


End file.
